Jerry Jones supports an 18-game schedule

Calvin Watkins covers the Houston Rockets and the NBA for ESPN.com. He joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers as well as colleges, boxing and high school sports.

During his twice-weekly radio show on KRLD-FM, Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said he would like an 18-game NFL schedule.

NFL owners proposed a two-game preseason and an 18-game regular season during last year's labor talks, but the players rejected it. Things might be gaining steam, given how the new collective bargaining agreement eliminated two-a-days and controls the amount of padded regular season practices and offseason workouts.

Less wear and tear on players' bodies could be the primary sell from the owners to the players for an 18-game sked.

"I like that," Jones said. "We really talked about it a lot in the negotiations with the players. The league had the right to do that with the consent of the players. Over the last television contracts, we all agreed that we would all agree to expand it if we did go to 18 and two preseason [games]. I’m for that."

Another issue is money.

NFL players, especially veteran players, want more financial compensation for playing an 18 game season. The reality is the owners would just spread out how they compensate the players to over 20 weeks instead of 17.

"I can give you a lot of reasons why I think it’s good for the NFL," Jones said. "I really think it’s good for the players. I know it’s great for the fans. I hope we can work to do that."